"Avocado Hand" Is Sending People to the Emergency Room

When you're in the kitchen, there are countless things that can go wrong. We're not talking about burning toast or overcooking salmon — we mean the disasters that can occur while deep-frying a turkey or when a grease fire lights up your stove.

And now, what seems like one of the simplest tasks has turned into an ER nightmare: Cutting avocados. But before you scoff at the idea of this being dangerous, keep in mind that first-response doctors have seen so many horrible cases they've given the injury a nickname: avocado hand.

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In fact, the secretary and former president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons told The Times that he sees "four patients a week" in the emergency room. "I had to get three stitches and I have lost most of the sensation in my finger," one 29-year-old patient recently told Munchies. "And when I was in the [emergency room], there was a woman with the exact same injury." (We'll spare you the gory photos.)

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The avocado hand epidemic is prevalent in the U.S., too, leading the The New York Times to publish a video instructing readers how to properly cut the fruit open without getting hurt. But what the Times and other food sites fail to explain is how to get the pit off of the knife. After whacking it onto the blade and carefully twisting it out of the avocado, you can really struggle —and risk slicing open your palm (or worse!)—to grasp the slippery thing.

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But, as a diligent Good Eats fan who was endlessly intrigued by Alton Brown's food facts throughout high school, I've been lucky enough to avoid any danger. All you have to do is pinch the pit from the opposite, dull side of the knife.

But you're still not totally in the clear after this. A lot of people make the mistake of slicing each avocado half while it's in their hand. However, the skin is not as thick and protective as you think. Instead, peel off the skin or scoop the flesh out, set it down on a cutting board, and then slice it up.

WRONG

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RIGHT

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Ok, now go whip up some avocado toast. All these gifs are making us hungry.